Federal Correctional Officer Sentenced To More Than Three Years In Federal Prison For Accepting Bribes And Introducing Contraband Into Prison

Ocala, Florida – United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Samuel Brandon Smith (38, Ocala) to three years and one month in federal prison receipt of a bribe by a public official and providing contraband to a federal prisoner. The court also ordered Smith to forfeit $43,901, which represents the proceeds of these offenses. Smith pleaded guilty in February 2025.

According to court records, Smith was a correctional officer with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and worked at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex (FCC Coleman) in Sumter County. As an employee of a government agency, Smith was a “public official” under federal law. Between December 18, 2023, and September 4, 2024, Smith received $43,901 in bribes to smuggle contraband into FCC Coleman for inmates. On September 4, 2024, when Smith reported to work at FCC Coleman, staff members searched him and found 668 grams of marijuana and other controlled substances hidden within his duty vest. Smith was smuggling this contraband into the facility with the intent to distribute it to federal prisoners in exchange for monetary payments.

This case was investigated by the United States Department of Justice - Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.